


In a Soldier's Heart

by MousieBaby



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29856498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MousieBaby/pseuds/MousieBaby
Summary: Sylvia is rushed from her home when the walls fell, leaving behind everything that she had known. As time passes she decides to join the Cadet Corps to follow her long standing dream of being a scout. She begins to stand out in training and many new opportunities open up for her.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Original Character(s)





	1. Chapter 1

I stepped forward and called out the signal telling the person operating the gear, that I was ready for the test. The ropes connected to my gear lifted me up and I was stopped by the gear that I was assigned. I did not shake, my body still as I was suspended in midair. The commandant looked surprised and then called for me to get away from the testing area.   
I hopped down, happily landing on solid ground. I was excited, and wanted to talk to someone else. I looked around and was faced with a harsh reality, I didn’t have anyone to talk to. My younger brother just didn’t care, he had his friends wrapped around his fingers and anyone else I tried to talk to had pretty much dismissed me. I watched my brother Eren call for the test to start as well. He did well for half a second and then he dropped forward and his face connected to the ground. I knew that had to hurt pretty bad. I went to go help him up but was shoved to the side as Mikasa rushed forward.   
I gave a slight sigh in irritation and went to the back of the class. I had been standing in the front to watch the tests because I couldn’t see anything from the back. I was the smallest person in the 104th cadets corps. I stood at a full 4’11”. All of my life I had been dismissed and underestimated by everyone who had met me because of my height. I learned well how to use that against someone in a fight, or to manipulate someone into getting my way. I rarely manipulated anyone because it was a lot of talking that I didn't want to do.   
I stretched on my own as the tests continued. As I reflected on what I had learned today, I had started thinking of valuable notes to add to my journal. When I finished stretching I started other basic exercises that I have done daily for a solid 10 years. About 10 years ago my brother had started running around our small town starting issues, often being bailed out by an adult or even Mikasa. A good handful of the people he pissed off would end up coming across me and either thinking that I was him or knowing that I was related to him and terrorized me. Sometimes they would beat the shit out of me, or just push me over, maybe lift me by my shirt and hang me from a tree. After the third or fourth time I had gotten beaten I decided I was done standing by and started learning how to fight.   
I would find a way to get to the betting rings and studied all of the fights they held there. Sometimes I would find a fist fight in the alley or a brawl in the town square to watch. Eventually I had gotten better at fighting and got stronger and decided that I needed other ways to get stronger. I eventually found my way to the library where I met a wonderful woman who had me call her Ms.Leason. Ms.Leason gave me reading lessons and taught me how to write. As she noticed the neglect at home, she started spending more time with me and teaching me more things that she thought I would need to know. She even gave me a job at the library cleaning and reshelving books.   
I grew stronger and started fighting in the betting rings that I once visited to learn to fight. I proved everyone wrong and made a fortune in the betting rings. I saved all of my money from that and the job at the library. I even learned how to hide the insane amounts of money that I had.   
When I was living at home I would often be ignored or pushed aside. I remember one night my mother was fighting with Dr.Yeager. Eren was just a couple months old, and that was of course when the strain between my mother and of course Dr.Yeager and myself started. She yelled about how I was never supposed to be born and I was a drunken accident that she wished would just go away. I was not his daughter, I was just a liability, I was a runt that would be useless in all ways, I was a parasite. I was almost five when that fight happened, that fight was my first real memory. I just wandered around during the days and barely went home to sleep. I rarely ate at home as well, my “parents” feigned concern at first when I stopped eating and was almost never home. They quickly dropped that fake concern as I was gone more and as Eren grew up.   
I watched them shower him with all of the love and affection I had longed for my whole life. One day I had come home to my room cleaned with nothing but a few outfits and my bed with bedding. They threw out all of my toys. I had looked around my room pulling all of the bedding up and looking behind everything for the sole comfort that I had left. My baby blanket from my real father was gone as well. I was hurt by the actions of my “parents” and then was outraged. I looked in the trash behind the house and found everything there, my blanket on top of the pile of belongings that were once mine. I had reached out and took it. I also pulled out my backpack and the stuffed animal I had used to hide my money. I shoved it all in the bag and took off, I was thirteen.   
I never went back after that day. I spent all of my time with Ms.Leason, at the betting rings, studying, or working out. Ms.Leason had taken me in at 13. She raised me as well as she could and I did my best to make her proud.  
I remember the day that the wall fell. Ms.Leason and I ran to safety together only ever slowing down as I passed my old house. I watched helplessly as my mother was eaten by a titan. Eren and Mikasa were being carried away as the titan finished eating her. Ms.Leason pushed me forward and we kept running to safety. When we finally made it I was so mixed with emotion. I knew that she wasn’t a good mother to me but I couldn’t help but feel the sadness in my heart when it came to her death. Maybe it was the way she had called for Eren and Mikasa to run and save themselves. I had made eye contact as she was scooped up by the titan and all of the love in her eyes drained. She couldn’t even bring herself to care about me in her final moments.   
After we were loaded onto the boats, Ms.Leason and I had found our way to Eren, Mikasa and Armin, we stayed with them for a while, we all became refugees and helped work in the fields to keep society running. I often worked extra hours, doing my best to lighten the load on Ms.Leason.   
After about a year a huge plan was revealed. They were all talking about taking back the other wall. About 90% of the men and women that were brought in from the wall falling were forced to go. That included Ms.Leason, I clutched to her, sobbing. We both knew what was going to happen. I begged her to not go, or to let me go for her. She refused and pulled me from the hug. She looked into my eyes and sternly told me “I have to go, you have too much to live for. I love you Syl and don’t you ever forget that you are my everything. You can do anything and I expect great things from you.”  
The words always warmed my heart and made me so much more determined to reach my goals whenever they echoed around in my head. The words were often the only solace I could find on bad days. I decided to sign up for the cadet corps where I could work to work my way into the scouts and I had always dreamed of doing. I wanted away from society so bad that I could practically taste it.   
After the tests were finally done we were told to take the equipment that we were using back to the shed. I took mine off carefully and noticed that a piece on the belt was awfully bent. I did not recall the piece needing to look like that when I was reading about the gear. I headed straight for Commandant Shaddes. He was tall and bald, most everyone was talking about how scary he was. He was standing next to some other sever looking military men. “Commandant Shaddes sir?” I had spoken aloud for the first time in probably a week.  
“What is it Yeager?” I grimaced at the name.   
“I believe that this belt is busted. Will you look at that for me?” He took it from my outstretched hand and examined it. He nodded and looked back at me with confusion.   
“Was the belt like this before you took the test?” I nodded. “You should not have been able to balance so well with the belt being this damaged. Good job soldier.” He took the belt. “I will take this to be repaired. You are free to go.” I politely excused myself and took off to the barracks. The test was just for a skill assessment but I was ready to do more. I was ready to fight harder than ever before. I was ready to leave the walls, I no longer had someone else to care for and even after seeing the titans first hand I was ready to run straight into battle with them.  
The first month was hell. I would constantly try to make friends or talk to someone before I realized that the other cadets didn’t care. The males would either make advances or dismiss me completely. The girls all pushed me around, I was often kicked out of the barracks just because. I was getting tired of the shit that they were all giving me, sometimes it was my size, or something stupid. The girls even made fun of the nightmares that plagued me. They laughed at the tears that gathered in my eyes overnight.   
After training one day I wanted to spend my time in the library. I made my way to the barracks I only went to grab the baby blanket that I did not get a chance to put in my bag this morning. I had gotten everything else in my bag before the roll call. Someone was huddled by my bunk. I noticed a couple others with them. They were all laughing and as I got closer I noticed them waving my blanket around. The ratty fabric swaying really ground on my nerves.  
“Hey! Give that back please.” The girl flipped around and snickered at me. I stared at her for a second. She was tall with dark hair. Her face was all contoured, and bruteish.   
“Oh you poor baby, what are you going to do? Are you gonna cry with your whittle blankie?” My temper flared and I was dangerously close to starting a brawl immediately.   
“No but if you do not give it back I will seriously kick your ass. I told you I was done putting up with your guy’s shit.” I held my hand out for my blanket. She looked down and back up, giving me a once over and a snarky laugh. “One.” I was counting, once I reached three she was going to go flying. “Two.”   
“Oh i’m so scared. What are you going to do? All you're going to do is kick me in the shin.” I decided three was too much as I kicked my right foot upwards, catching her under the chin and knocking her back. She flew back in surprise, and cussed as she came back up. I felt the familiar rush as I dodged each of her punches which were poorly planned. I bounced around and quickly came back up behind her, I reached backwards as our backs were facing each other. I grabbed her around the throat and swiped her foot out from under her as I threw her weight forward. She flew over my shoulder and hit the floor hard.   
She cried out in pain and I grabbed up the blanket off of the floor. All of the other girls either glared or stared in a shocked type of horror. “I fucking told you, I would kick your ass. It would do you all well to mind your own business and not fuck with someone elses things. One full month of your bullshit was enough.” I started to make my way to the door to leave. Someone stepped in my way and tried to throw a punch. I ducked and spun on my feet using only the momentum of twisting around to throw a solid right hook into their gut. They groaned and staggered away. “I can fight you all at once if you would like, I however would not suggest that. I have barely started and it would be easiest to stop now.” Everyone else backed down and I quickly left. The door on the barracks was open during the summer leaving only a screen door on the barracks during the day. The commandant stood outside of the barracks, he was obviously stunned by the visible fight and I did not stop to talk to him. I didn't want to answer any questions that he may have or get chewed out quite yet.   
At about 100 feet from the doorway and the commandant I broke out into a full sprint. I kept running to help clear my head. The years of the bruises and pain that I had endured had paid off long ago and never stopped being worth every bit of the pain. As the daylight left I found myself running to the library. I had already made myself familiar with the small building. I even found a corner where I could read without being seen and I would be left in peace.   
I quickly grabbed a book and curled up in the corner. I spent a lot more of my time writing notes or just reading. I only stopped when the door opened and I could hear a pair of boots walking on the hardwood floor in the library. They walked around and then left. After I was done reading for the day I just curled up in my corner with my blanket in my lap. I pawed through my bag as quietly as I could.   
In my bag I carried my blanket, a small stuffed animal that Ms.Leason gave me after I started working at the library. I had some writing utensils and my journals that had all of my notes. I also have a copy of my favorite book in my bag. I have a small sewing kit and a small first aid kit. And finally a bottle of water. I knew exactly where in the bag I had sewn in all of my money. I had some stacked away in my book and in the old journals as well.   
I just stayed in the corner until I was finally calm enough and brave enough to go face the consequences of my actions. I was contemplating on skipping dinner but realized that I hadn’t eaten for a couple days already. Everyone was headed to the mess hall, so I slipped in behind them. I just went about my meal as if nothing happened. I sat at the end of the table that Eren and his friends sat at. I listened to them all talk and watched everyone as I picked at my food.   
I finally saw the girl that I had kicked in the face, she was sitting at the table all the way across the mess hall. She had a huge black spot under her chin that blossomed out onto her left cheek. The other person that I hit in the gut was holding their stomach. It looked like he was having a hard time eating after that punch. I fought to hide a smug smirk as I noticed them in such bad condition. I quickly finished eating and left to go do my night stretches before finding somewhere to sleep for the night.   
“Yeager!” I cringed as I heard commandant Shaddes call out my name. “My office. Now.” I grimaced and cleared my face before turning back to him. I knew what was going to happen already and wanted to not have it happen. I followed him as he lead the way to his office. He opened the door and pointed at the chair. I pulled my bag off and sat down in the chair he pointed at. I set the bag in my lap.   
“I was on my way to ask you about the strange meal punches that you have had lately. When I got to the barracks that you were assigned to I saw you asking for something back. Then you attacked the others. I want to know exactly what happened.” I looked back at him.  
“Commandant, I would first like to ask to not be called Yeager. I don’t care what you call me but that is not my real last name.” I was surprisingly bold, even to me. “ As to what happened, I have a baby blanket that was given to me by my real father that I have carried around since I was a baby. I usually carry everything in my bag during the day. I was almost late to roll call this morning and left my blanket on my bunk. I came back to several people messing with it and swinging it around. They made fun of me for it. I asked politely and they would not kindly give it back. I became much more stern and they still would not give it back. I had warned them several times and finally decided to act.” He was writing notes.  
“They said that you had just attacked without warning when they offered to give it back.” He looked severe as he was reading the papers. I thoughtlessly pulled the blanket out and rubbed it between my fingers. The commandant stared at it real closely.  
“I did warn them at least twice. They have been hateful and cruel since I have gotten here. I often spend my nights in the library because they will not allow me into the barracks half of the time. I don’t like fighting but I just let them push me out because if I had fought back they would have messed with me in my sleep.”   
“Where did you learn to fight like that?”  
I did not want to answer that at all. That was the worst question he could have asked me. “I was not properly looked after by my parents and spent a lot of time on the streets. I never learned how to fight until my brother became old enough to start problems with others in town. Because I was so small and my hair was pretty short people would think I was him or they would just settle for messing with his sister instead. I was beaten a couple times before I decided to learn how to fight back. I was young and small for my age, but I was still beaten by older, and bigger kids. Sometimes adults, so I learned fast and never stopped practicing how to defend myself.”  
The commandant looked appalled and I continued to rub the blanket between my fingers. “I am so sorry you had to learn that way. I would like to set a cot up for you in the back room of the library so that you can have somewhere to sleep without any issues.” He leaned back in his chair. “My mother made me a blanket like that one when I was a baby.” I thought deeply for a second. “I do hope you can keep that one close to you. I will have a cot added to the back room of the library for you before lights out tonight. There will be no other actions taken due to the evidence all pointing in your favor. Have a good night cadet.” I stood up and gave a quick salute before making an even quicker departure.   
Everyone was already settled into their bunks or they were messing around with the others in the barracks because the land did not have a single person milling about. I deposited my bag in a safe place and went back to the barracks to grab my clothes. I opened the screen door with a bang and the loud atmosphere became silent. I walked in with my head high and my footsteps echoed. Nobody made a sound or moved a muscle as I went to my chest with my clothing. I placed all of my folded clothing into my duffel bag and slammed the chest shut when I was done. I watched a couple of the girls flinch when I slammed the chest shut.  
It was almost a good feeling, I had proven myself stronger than they thought. I knew I shouldn’t but I loved the feeling of proving others wrong. I loved the surprise that was caused by me doing something they thought I couldn’t do. It gave me a sick satisfaction that I tried to deny.  
I left the barracks feeling better, I grabbed my bag on the way back to the library. I opened the back room and saw a cot folded up with some sheets and a blanket. I set everything down and started moving things around in the back.   
The room held shelves of books and some stacks of papers. I cleaned up and set the cot up before hiding everything there and leaving for a shower while the showers were empty. I went through the night without another incident.   
The next morning I was a bit late because I got caught up cleaning the back room to the standards that I preferred. The buzzing from everyone talking was loud as I walked up and quickly quieted down as everyone saw me standing there in uniform. I heard them all confused after thinking that I was taking my clothes out of my chest because I was kicked out. The sick satisfaction was back and I remembered Ms.Leason’s voice that day oh so long ago.


	2. Chapter 2

That was the day that we started to focus more on the hand to hand combat unit. I listened intently and with no surprise I did not hear anything new. I listened to all of the lessons for the next few weeks and never heard anything new. I excelled above everyone else in the corps. I never lost a fight, they never got any hits in, I used the ODM gear like it was no more than another limb. I passed all tests and quizzes with flying colors.   
Even though I was doing so well and everything was easy I was enjoying all of the training and having fun all alone. Everyone got worse about coming near me or talking to me or anything at all after they watched me excel and surpass all of their expectations. No matter how I tried, even Eren and Mikasa wouldn’t talk to me. The only person who would even act like I existed was Sasha Braus. She was nice but was much closer to everyone else and any conversation with her was cut in half with someone calling her away from me.   
About two years later something new happened to break up the daily monotony of training. There were two men who had rode in on horses. They both had the Scout uniforms on. The others were buzzing about it but I could not get close enough to anyone to hear what they were saying. I just decided to go about my day as normal. I had already stretched and done my normal workouts but I decided to double down as everyone else talked amongst themselves.   
I even tried something new, I went to the pullup bars and started to mess around as a child would on a playground. I swung around and played acrobat. I hung upside down as Commandant Shaddes called for everyone’s sparring partners. I was up against the biggest male here today again. I tried to carefully get down from the pull up bar but I did not move my leg fast enough and slipped.   
I slammed into the ground, the impact knocked the air out of me for a second before I started laughing. My laughing had stopped everyone else's snickers and snide remarks. It was just stupid how little that actually hurt. I jumped up and brushed the dirt off of myself before going to sparr. It went about as it usually does, I subdued him quickly, repeatedly and differently every time. I never hurt him but definitely landed several hits. I countered everything he did or just dodged or jumped.   
After a while, we changed to practicing on the ODM gear where I popped around and genuinely enjoyed myself. I flew through the air and screamed happily as I dodged others while playing the exercise game. When that was over we practiced with the sharp swords. The swords were the most exciting part of the training for me. I swung carefully and forcefully. All of the others weren’t quite used to the length of the swords while I was just playing around and having fun with the targets. I actually went in full force on a downward fall from the ODM and sliced a target in half.   
We got out of training early for the day as well so I ran off to the library where I sat in the hiding spot to study. I studied for about an hour before calling it good, being majorly distracted. I then dusted before getting severely bored. I hid my backpack and left to do something that would keep me busy. I ran across camp and went back to the pull up bar where I had messed up earlier. I glared at it before going back to the hanging position that I was in. I tried to get down successfully and fell to the ground. I hit a bit harder that time, but brushed the dirt off and adjusted my ponytail before hanging upside down yet again. It took another time falling to the ground before I realized what I was doing wrong. I went to try one last time and finally made a successful landing on my feet.   
When I finally landed correctly I screamed happily, jumping around in victory and tried again. I practiced the move until I noticed everyone going into the mess hall for dinner. Leaving the bar with a final successful landing I walked back carefully rubbing my shoulder where I kept landing on the ground. The sun was starting to set and I was tired, I had spent too much energy on the pull up bar but I wanted to stick that landing real well.   
I got my meal and sat at the usual spot. I could finally hear the gossip about the two men who watched all of the training. One was the Commander of the Scouts and the other was the Captain of the highest ranked squad. I ate slowly and kept thinking about how I was going to listen to my favorite record when I went back to the library. Nobody ever really went there, so of course they didn’t know that there was a record player or a collection of records in the library.  
The atmosphere changed in the mess hall, the loud busy people had stopped talking, forks were no longer scraping plates and I was confused by the sudden change. I looked up and was surprised by the men from the scouts standing at the other end of the table. “Yeager.” The short male barked out. I stood up and saluted.  
“Yes captain?” Eren had stood up to salute as well and he beat me to saying anything.   
“At ease soldiers.” I stood loosely and looked back. “I was not meaning you, I was talking to the runt.” I thought about the nickname, it was still better than the name Yeager.   
“Yes sirs?” I asked, I did not have to say it loud as you could hear a pin drop.  
“My name is Levi and I am the captain of the top trained scout regiment. You were recommended by Commandant Shaddes for special admission and training in my personal scout regiment. After watching your training and looking into all of your scores, commander Erwin and I wanted to officially offer you the chance to join my regiment of scouts.” I was beyond shocked, I had wanted to be a scout for such a long time and the chance has finally presented itself.   
“You can’t leave me Sylvia, what would I do without you?” It was Eren calling out to me. I was irritated by his words but the voices of others joining in pissed me off further.   
“Trust me you will all be fine, not a single one of you have spoken five words to me in the past month except Sasha. You have all exiled me after I got tired of you all thinking you could push me around and I stood up for myself.” I locked eyes with Captain Levi. Ms.Leason’s words echoed through my head again. ‘You have too much to live for. I love you Syl and don’t you ever forget that you are my everything. You can do anything and I expect great things from you.’  
“Captain, Commander, I would be honored to advance and fight for the scouts.” There was a look in both the Captains and Commanders eyes that I knew all too well. They had the full story, I am certain that the Commandant filled them in on it. They thought the sudden movement from the others would halter me. The captain especially had the look that knew I was serious.  
“I am glad to hear that, we will leave just after dawn in the morning. Please be packed and be ready to leave.” The commander had spoken this time. “Please finish your meal and enjoy the rest of your night.” I thanked them quietly and they left. I sat down and pushed my food around the plate. I had a jumble of Ms.Leason’s words and the fact that I was going to become a part of the scout regiment.   
The only thing that stopped the thoughts was hearing Eren try to apologize to me. I shoved my tray away and stood up. “Eren, I know that our parents being the way they were was not your fault, but you did not have to act just like them. You never cared that all of your actions had consequences for other people. Do you know why I fight so well?” I stared at him for a second. “Every kid that you pissed off, every drunken adult that you pissed off took their anger with you out on me because I am your sister. It was good enough for them to beat the living tar out of me at the ripe old age of 10. I was never lucky enough to have someone to dig me out of trouble like you did, I learned the hard way and never stopped fighting. I am not giving up on my dream of being a scout, not the only dream that I had clung to since before you were born. I am not dropping it because you finally realized that I exist.” I did my best to not punch something on the way out. I left, not caring who heard what I said seeing as the Commander, the Captain and the Commandant were all standing outside of the mess hall.  
I kept walking, my head filled with the thoughts of the scouts and Ms.Leason’s words. I felt the tears fall as I asked myself if she would be proud of me. My vision had blurred quickly and my boot caught the tip of something and I fell back into the dirt. I laid there in the dirt for a second, I rubbed the fine powdery dust and pushed myself back up.   
I made my way to the library and grabbed my shower supplies. I rushed through my shower and quickly threw my dirty clothes in the washer so everything was clean when I left tomorrow. It would make sense to thank Commandant Shaddes for the recommendation to the Scouts. I went to his office while I waited for my clothes to wash. I knocked on the large heavy wooden door to his office.   
I entered after being prompted to and sat in the chair that I was in before. “Commandant I wanted to thank you for the recommendation to the Scouts. It was a lifelong dream of mine that was made much more attainable because of you.”  
“Sylvia, you absolutely deserved the recommendation, I am not the type of person to do something just because. Both Commander Erwin and Captain Levi had thought you were doing well enough to advance. You worked to get here.” He was earnest and his voice was the softest I had ever heard it. “I need to be absolutely transparent, I was the one who damaged your belt on the training day, you had terrified me with how well you did with a broken belt. I watched you take on people two to three times your size in one on one combat without getting hit once.”   
“Why would you damage my belt?” I was curious and almost hurt by the thought that someone would try to make me fail. Commandant Shaddes told me the story of my mother and Dr.Yeager. I quickly picked up the missing pieces. “You’re my father?”   
He nodded. “Your mother didn’t want me anywhere near you and refused to let me see you. When I first saw you here I was taken aback by how much you look like my mother. You have her fiery red hair and of course, you have your grandfather's eyes.” I felt the tears flow and I rubbed my forehead, what I was told was of course a lot to process all at once. “The last indicator was that red baby blanket, it was the one that your mother used for you, the one my mother made for me when I was a baby.”  
“I can’t believe you are my dad. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”  
“I didn’t want anyone thinking I was giving you special treatment because of it, and it would call a lot of bad attention to your mother’s name.” As much as I hated it, I understood the reasonings that he had. “I think you need to go get as much rest as you can before dawn, and please remember that I am so proud of who you have become.” He hugged me before pushing me out of the office to go rest. I kept tears away long enough to get to the washer to take my clothes and shamble my way back to the Library.   
I packed everything except my slightly damp clothing and changed into my nightclothes. I set my clothing out for the morning and crawled into the cot with my stuffed animal and my blanket. I sobbed, overwhelmed by all that has happened during the day. My heart hurt, missing Ms.Leason and all of the pain I have been through coming to the surface again. I thought about how hard I have pushed myself to this point, the extra exercises, the beatings as a child, the snide condescending remarks made through my whole life.  
My mother yelled that night about how I was a mistake and I just wouldn’t go away, Ms.Leason’s words. Commandant Shaddes’s words. They all echoed in my head. I was so confused and hurt. I finally started to calm down an hour or so later. My eyes burned and they were all puffy. I couldn’t sleep solidly, which was nothing worse than usual for me. Although it was day 12 with very little sleep and I was feeling worse for wear.  
I was dressed and ready by dawn, I had even done all of my regular stretches and exercises. Everyone was up for their usual training. I stood strong and ignored all of the stares, the whispers that circulated me. “Yeager, are you ready to go?”   
I nodded and barked a quick positive assurance. I was led to a horse that was ushered onto the horse with Commander Erwin. I held on as we left the training camp. I had given a final wave to my newfound father as we left. It was a pretty quiet ride for a while. I didn’t know what to say and I was not in the best mood for a big conversation. Commander Erwin didn’t seem to care about that as he decided to start a conversation. “How is your shoulder doing? I watched you take a pretty hard fall yesterday.” I remembered the pullup bar and wanted to laugh again. Levi was riding a horse right next to us.   
“Are you kidding, commander? I watched her laugh when she fell.” I was bothered by the idea that they would have been watching me specifically all day yesterday. I silently begged that they did not see me practice the trick I had failed. “And after training was dismissed she went right back to try again.” Levi was observant and I knew that nothing ever gets past him.   
“I asked her Levi.” I was not really thrilled to answer.   
“It is nothing I have never felt before. I’m fine.” Levi gave a small chuckle. “I can stick the landing now at least.”  
“I was hoping you would also tell us where you learned about hand to hand combat. Your abilities were impressive.” My face was starting to get warm.   
I gave them a pretty basic idea of what happened and made sure to leave out the betting rings. “I made it my goal to be as strong as I could. Only lately had I thought of putting the abilities to use in the scouts.”   
Levi asked me a question that caught me off guard. “How had you not made any friends?” Erwin gave a small strangled sound. That was not a fair question but I knew I would give the honest truth.  
“They thought they could push me around for so long and when I got tired of it they wouldn’t back down, they were in my business and wouldn’t politely leave so I kicked some girls butt and her friend too. After that it was all about how they didn’t like how easy everything seemed to be for me.”  
“I guess they failed to see how much you devoted to your goal. They didn’t think about what it took to get where you are now. I want you to meet my team, I can guarantee that they will give you more of a chance than the last group did.” The words hit a nerve, maybe a nerve that needed to be hit. I nodded and hoped to god that he was right. “Hey Erwin, Hange is going to love her.” My stomach churned as I realized that there were so many new people coming up. I was terrified that they would hate me. I didn’t want this to be a repeat of the Cadet Corps.  
Erwin looked over to Levi and back to where we were going. “Why is that?”   
“The look that Hange gets when thinking about titans, that's the look that Yeager here had when she fell off of that pull up bar. Yeager’s insistence on the stunt was much like Hange gathering information.”  
I really hated being called that. “Could you all call me something else please? I hate being called by that name.” Erwin and Levi both tried to throw me a funny look.   
“What do you suggest then? I can call you a runt instead.” I shrugged and smirked.  
“That would be fine, or you can all use my name, Sylvia.” I thought for a second. “Anything but Yeager.” We were coming up on a town now and I needed to go to the restroom.   
“We are stopping here for breakfast, we have another hour ride after this.” Erwin was talking now and I was relieved, I really needed to use the restroom. The horses finally stopped and I jumped down easily, I looked around when a hand appeared on my shoulder. I instinctually flipped around and realized it was just Erwin. “Sylvia, you are going to need to wear this in public places from now on.” He handed me a green cloak. “It’s an extra one that Levi brought. I realize now that the one that we originally packed is much too big.” I tentatively took the cape and put it on. Levi had taken the horses and reappeared.   
“I need to use the restroom.” I was getting impatient. Levi motioned for me to follow him. We walked through the restaurant that Erwin had picked. It was relatively empty but I could feel the eyes on me as I walked through with the Scout cape on. I was led to the restroom and Levi was waiting for me as I left the restroom. He then took me to another part of the restaurant where Erwin was waiting. It was like they had already made countless trips and done this hundreds of times.


End file.
